Early August is closely connected to the gathering of first fruits, and of seeing the efforts and activities of the
past year ripen into success. It is the time of the blessing of the land by the Mother of Light within the
UnderRealm.
The overall cycle is also concerned with harmony and balance and is thus a favoured time for solidifying or
formalising important relationships. It is therefore also the time for social and magical gatherings and festivities
in honour of the Goddess and the land. This culminates and connects with the end of the cycle on All Hallows,
when the spirits of the ancestors gather to meet with incarnate mortals and to exchange energies and blessings.
The second half of the Tide of Water (after the equinox), is when spiritual power begins to flow back into the
Earth. This is when we may act as mediators of this ingoing energy, which has consequences for the health of
the land, the seas and waterways and all that live in and on these places.
The Tide of Water runs from August 1st to October 31st, reaching its apogee at the autumnal equinox
(Sept. 22-23). In general this period is linked with fruition,and harvest, and it resonates with the
magical direction of West. In the northern hemisphere the west, where the sun, moon and planets set,
is the direction of transition into the UnderRealm and thus of dying and of the ancestors.
